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When we pray, we should pray the scriptures. This empowers us in faith and God’s word. It allows us a deeper connection to God and His word.

What is PRAYER?

Prayer is a conversation with God. It sets the foundation for our lives and relationships.

One important note to remember is that the power of prayer is NOT in the words we choose.

HOW to pray

When I was little, I was taught the 5-finger prayer. When I went to look it up to remember what all the fingers stand for, I discovered there are several versions of it.

 The 5-Finger Prayer

The thumb represents those closest to us. This is our family and close friends.

The pointer/index finger represents people who point us in the correct direction. This is teachers, pastors, doctors. It can be anyone you lean on for wisdom and guidance.

The middle finger (the tallest one) is to remind us to pray for those who lead us. This finger represents the government and the church.

The ring finger (the weakest finger) stands for those who are weak, in pain, or in trouble. These are people that we can never pray for/about too much or too often.

The pinkie finger (the smallest finger) represents the prayers we pray for ourselves and our own needs.

This 5-finger prayer reminds us to pray more for others than for ourselves.

I was also taught, as I moved from the children’s class to the teen class and above, that when I pray, I should begin by thanking God.

I should tell Him all the things for which I am thankful before I ask for anything.

Then, I should lead into asking for things, but, as with the 5-finger prayer, I should pray for others more than myself.

Once I completed my prayers of request, I should then thank God again. This time, I should thank Him for what He is going to do and not simply for what He has completed already.

That is how I spent most of my prayer time as I grew up and as an adult.

WHY Pray the Scriptures

Growing up, I heard my pastors and parents praying. Many times, they would pray for people who were sick and say, “In Your Word, it says ‘By His stripes we are healed’.” They would also include other scriptures in their prayers, but I did not know that it was an effective way to pray.

There are many reasons why you should pray the scriptures.

First, Jesus did it. On the cross, He cried out “why hast Thou forsaken me,” and that was Christ calling out scripture to God.

Second, according to Isaiah 55:11, God is bound by His word. The scripture says that God’s word never returns void, which means that God does what His Word says He will do. After all, the Bible is God’s infallible word.

Third, God’s word is truth. John 17:17 states this, exactly. “God’s word is truth.”

Fourth, praying the scriptures helps us focus on God. Instead of allowing our minds to wander to 1,000 different things, we can focus our thoughts and prayers in one direction, straight to God.

Fifth, it helps us to gain a better understanding of the scriptures and how they apply to our own lives. As we pray, read, and study, God gives us a deeper understanding of the scriptures. He allows us to see how His word relates to our lives.

WHEN to Pray the Scriptures

You should pray the scriptures any time you pray. However, if you are at a loss for words, that is a great time to do it.

As stated earlier, using the scriptures in your prayers can help you to focus more on a specific topic.

You can pray the scripture when you need to declare God’s promises over a specific time or season in your life.

You can claim the scriptures in prayer over circumstances in the lives of others.

HOW to Pray the Scriptures

The first thing to do is to find a quiet place. You probably already have an area in your home where you pray or study. Eliminate as many distractions as possible. Fewer distractions will allow you to focus more on your time with God.

Next, find the scripture that you are going to use in prayer. Write it down in a notebook or journal. By writing the words of the scripture and the location on paper, it allows the words to connect to your brain.

If you are stuck to find something to pray, Psalms is a great place to begin. Many of the Psalms are already written as prayers.

After you know what scripture you are going to use and have it written down, pray the scriptures. I know that sounds funny to say in an explanation of how to pray the scriptures, but that’s what you do.

You use the words of the passage you chose as your prayer. If you chose scripture about strength, then you pray about situations where you or someone else needs strength. Use the words from the scripture in your prayer. Claim the promises of God from the scripture in the words you pray for others or yourself.

While you are praying, change the scripture you chose to 1st person. Use words like, “I” and “me” and “we.” This helps you personalize your prayer and the scripture.

Finally, ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray. The Holy Spirit will lead you in the best way to pray the scriptures you have chosen for the situations in your life and the lives of those for whom you are praying.

WRAP UP

There are several examples of praying in the scriptures.

Praise and Worship

Confession of Sins

Protection from Satan/the enemy

Becoming more Christ-like

Those are just a few examples. There are many amazing scriptures that match each of those examples.

If you would like a copy of my FREE Guide to Praying the Scriptures, click here. It also includes the 5-finger prayer and journaling pages to get your started in your journey of praying the scriptures.

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